It can help them learn the new material. If I can connect the new information with an experience, they are more likely to retain the information.
By using life experiences in the classroom helps a student understand why they are here at the chosen course. It also helps them understand the career that they are going into and that the instructor has the knowledge and the insight into the course.
I have found that by allowing students opportunities to share their experiences in life, work, and school enables them to boost their self-esteem and self-confidence to the level where they enjoy coming to class because they are in a secure environment and they can be contributing members of the respectivew class.
Many times I have found myself learning from my students just as they learn from me. I find that teaching is not only fulfilling; it is a pleasure as well as challenging.
By using their own life experiences in the classroom, students feel a sense of pride and competency. They are in a situation where they are learning new material, so they may feel unsure or insecure in their knowledge. But by relating their own life experiences, they are able to reconnect with those feelings of mastery and will gain more confidence in meeting the challenges of the classroom setting.
I believe it reduces anziety of the adult learner, knowing that they have something like wisdom of their experiences to offer to the class.
